Skilgreina

Skilgreina is an Icelandic verb meaning to define or to specify, i.e., to give the essential meaning or boundaries of something. It is used in linguistic, academic, and professional contexts to frame concepts, terms, processes, and criteria. The act may involve identifying key properties or limits that distinguish a term from others.

Etymology and formation: The word is a compound of skil- from skilja, meaning “to understand” or “to separate,” and greina, meaning “to analyze” or “to examine.” The combination conveys separating a concept from others and examining its essential features to determine its meaning.

Usage and nuance: Skilgreina is common in education, research, law, and technology. It is often paired with the noun skilgreining, which means definition. In some contexts it can be close in meaning to útskýra, but skilgreina emphasizes precise meaning and boundaries rather than general explanation.

Examples: Icelandic: “Til að skilgreina hugtakið þarf að sýna skilyrði og forsendur.” Translation: “To define the concept one must show the conditions and premises.” Another example: “Defining the concept is the first step in an academic inquiry.”

See also: skilgreining (definition). Skilgreining is the resulting noun form commonly used to denote the definition or specification produced by skilgreining.